Tien Minh receives nearly $6,000 for Vietnam Open championship

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh has received $3,750 for the Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open championship, plus $2,500 of bonus from some organizations.

Over 50 feared dead as landslide hits eastern Uganda

A wave of landslides on Monday hit three villages in the eastern Ugandan district of Bulambuli, leaving over 50 people feared dead.

ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 30/8

Vietnamese art works nominated for Asia - Pacific prize; 2012 Hue Festival to open in April; Vietnam’s circus has great potential abroad; Concert to promote country’s traditional music; Hanoi Museum to receive 3,000 precious items   

Ethnic performers prepare show

VietNamNet Bridge – A performance of music from Vietnamese ethnic groups will take place at Ha Noi's Au Co Art Centre on September 10, featuring performers from the Viet Nam National Music and Dance Theatre.

SOCIETY IN BRIEF 30/8

Island gets desalinisation evaporator, generators; Man missing in Ho Chi Minh City river landslide; Bus catches fire, 45 passengers escape alive; 19-year-old man arrested in gold shop murders

Candidates race to get Golden Whistle

Among the five candidates for the Golden Whistle title, recently announced by the Viet Nam Football Federation, referee Vo Quang Vinh stands out as the front runner to take the glory for his work during the 2010-11 season.

Agency gives insight into nation's financial status

VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh yesterday, Aug 29, instructed the National Financial Supervisory Committee to submit quality analysis and predictions on the nation's financial status to the Government.

Da Nang maintains top placing on ICT index

VietNamNet Bridge - The central city of Da Nang topped the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Index for the third consecutive year.

MPI plans to keep stricter control over equitized FIEs

The policy on equitizing foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) is being reconsidered, after experts gave warnings about the foreign capital withdrawal through the equitization, which may cause bad impacts on the national economy.

HCM City plans to use Russian technology for wind power project

HCM City’s authorities are considering cooperating with Russian partners to develop wind power using a new technology which is expected to have the production cost lower by 50 percent compared to the current popularized technologies.

Fatherland looked from the sea

VietNamNet Bridge – The “Fatherland looked from the sea” show was organized at the HCM City Youth Cultural House on August 28, introducing latest songs about Vietnam’s sea and islands.

Amnesty declared for over 10,000 prisoners

VietNamNet Bridge – The President on August 29, declared amnesty for more than 10,000 prisoners on the occasion of the National Day (September 2).

Amnesty inspires prisoners' dreams

VietNamNet Bridge – Working as a handicraft maker has been a dream for Pham Van Cong since he was put under lock and key 13 years ago in Nam Ha Prison in northern Ha Nam Province.

Marine, island tours chosen to show patriotism

VietNamNet Bridge – Many young people have booked tours to islands and beaches, which are not very popular, for the upcoming National Day holiday (September 2).

Weak flicker of hope for interest rate reduction appears

VietNamNet Bridge – The newly appointed Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam, Nguyen Van Binh, has vowed to force the interest rates down to 17-19 percent per annum. Commercial banks are drawing up a plan to meet the commitment.

Liem gets off to winning start

VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam's top chess player, Le Quang Liem, won his first match at the World Chess Cup 2011 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, on Sunday.

State President receives new ambassadors

VietNamNet Bridge – State President Truong Tan Sang separately received in Hanoi on Aug. 29 foreign ambassadors who presented their credentials.

Berlin marks 125th anniversary of automobile invention

Mercedes-Benz, the world leading luxury car producer, celebrates the 125th anniversary of its invention of automobile with what it claimed the largest gathering ever, at the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin on the weekend.

National Day tours still up for grabs

Many domestic and outbound tours on the occasion of National Day holiday, September 2, are still available as more tour programs have been put on this year while demand is in decline.

Seafood farms face growing problems

Aquaculture has flourished in the central region in recent years, but is now encountering several problems, including a shortage of baby shrimp for breeding and polluted groundwater from inadequate waste treatment.

Vietnamese diplomats in Libya still safe

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnamese Ambassador to Libya and four embassy staffs are still safe but they are yet able to leave Libya as planned due to fast and complicated developments in the situation in Tripoli,

Vietnam hands over Filipino fisherman to embassy

VietNamNet Bridge – The Border Guard Force of the central coastal city of Da Nang on Aug. 27 handed over a Filipino fisherman to the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam.

TOEFL 550 requirement frightens English teachers

Vietnam has been following the national strategy on teaching English at general schools. However, the lack of standardized teachers has been hindering the strategy implementation.

Vietnamese beauties in old-styled ao dai and modern wedding

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s top models and beauty queens on August 27-28, performed in new ao dai and wedding dress collections at the “Time of Memories” fashion show in HCM City, and the wedding dress show in Hanoi.

Post-tropical Irene from U.S. soaks Canada's southeast

After having walloped the U.S. northeast, post-tropical cyclone Irene on Monday is whipping up strong winds and dumping heavy rain on parts of Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada's southeast and leaving thousands without power.